Can't Buy Me Love
by localizy
Summary: An alternative ending to Wedding Bells Blues. What if Lorelai and Emily had it out at the reception? One shot


**Disclaimer: I own nothing at all. Unfortunately.**

_**AN: This story came to me late one night after betaing some stories for GG1979. I had it more or less written out 24 hours later and was ready to go except for a title. Four days, many working titles, many title suggestions later the Beatles once again saved me and gave me a title for this little one shot story. It is a alternative ending to Wedding Bell Blues with yelling, screaming, and heated looks. The italicized dialogue comes from the episode everything else is my own creation (with the help of GG1979 THANK YOU). I hope everyone enjoys this story.**_

**Can't Buy Me Love**

_CHRIS: Will you stop?_

_LORELAI: Get away from me, Christopher. _

_CHRIS: I just want to talk. _

_LORELAI: Get some coffee, Christopher! _

_CHRIS: This wasn't the way I wanted it to go down. I wanted to get you alone _

_and – what are you doing? _

_LORELAI: I'm going after Luke! _

"Why are you going after him? I'm here. He left you. We can be a family."

"Christopher, for Christ's sake, we will never be a family. We never would have been a family. I don't love you; I don't want you near me. I just want you to leave me the hell alone before I permanently remove you from my life!" Lorelai screamed at Christopher.

"Oh, there you are! I've got her!" said Marilyn grabbing Lorelai's arm.

Lorelai withheld from screaming at Marilyn to let her go, she was after all in a public place and if she learned one thing from her mother, it was not to make a public display. She saw Luke run out the door and tried once again to break herself from Marilyn's iron grip.

'Hold on here, where is she taking me, I need to go find Luke and an ax to kill my mother. Oh no, I am not going in this picture. Where the hell does she get off trying to control my life! This has nothing to do with her or Christopher or anyone other than me and Luke. That's it.'

As the photographer counted down, Lorelai bent her head to her mother's ear and whispered, "You and me, we're done," before looking up to beyond the camera to see if Luke was still around.

The second the flash was gone, Lorelai was already halfway to the hall exit, praying that Luke hadn't left, that he didn't believe the drunken ramblings of Chris, wishing that he realized that the approval of her parents didn't mean beans to her, that it never would, and hoping that he knew all she wanted was him, Stars Hollow, and him.

"Lorelai!"

Lorelai picked up her step, ignoring the screeching voice behind her.

"Lorelai! I am your mother. Do not walk away from me!"

"No, Emily. I am walking away from someone who at every crossroad in my life has done nothing, NOTHING, except judge, meddle, and try and do what she believe is PROPER, rather that doing what is BEST for her daughter. That is who I am walking away from."

"I do know what is best for you and it is not that Diner Man. Christopher is here. He is here and wants to be a family!"

"Christopher is DRUNK! You don't you get it, do you? I don't want Christopher. I haven't wanted him since he left for Sherry and her baby. I don't think I even wanted him then! Why can't you understand that we are done, over, finished, we will never be Christopher and Lorelai again!"

"You should be with him, make up for what you did wrong to this family."

"NO! GOD WHY CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND!"

By this time, their voices have increased in volume drawing the curious from the wedding reception; Rory, Richard, and Christopher included, who were shocked at the ongoing display.

"I understand perfectly. You are only doing this, dating this Diner Man, to get back at your father and I for some reason that I can't figure out…We've only done what was best for you because God knows that you don't know what's best for you or Rory."

"What's best for me? What you mean is what is best for you! Rory is almost 21 years old and has done fine without her father being around. I have never, ever stopped Chris from spending time with her. HE is the one that didn't want to be around. Rory knows that her father and I will never, ever be together. What she wants is what is best for me. She wants me to be happy and knows that Luke makes me happy. Luke has always, ALWAYS been there for both of us, no matter what happens or what needs to be done; whether it is driving a mattress around New Haven or coming to a high school graduation or lending me $30,000 so that I would be HAPPY!" screamed Lorelai to her mother.

"That girl deserves more than a step-father who works in a diner flipping burgers for a living. She needs someone with class; that she can take to important events that will occur in her life."

At these comments Rory shot a glare at her father, finally realizing that he interfered with her mother and Luke. She was about to step in and confront her grandmother, but Richard held her back. He realized that this was a long time coming and even though it was a public place, in the presence of all their friends, Lorelai needed to get it out and Emily finally needed to understand.

"My God, can you hear yourself?"

"I hear just fine, what I don't understand is how you can treat your family like this. Christopher wants to try. He is standing right there wanting to be a family with you and Rory. Do you hate your father and me that much that you can't even do that for us? Try and do something right?" cried Emily, obviously not seeing the dangerous glint in her daughter's eyes.

Lorelai took a few steps forward so she was no more than an arms length away from Emily and looked her directly in the eye. "Listen to me and listen well. Rory can make her own decisions, she is old enough and I don't want her to feel like she needs to choose between me and you. She is free to do as she wants. I love Luke; I probably have loved Luke for years, but was too scared to do anything about it. I never loved Christopher the way I love Luke, it's almost as if I would cease to be who I am if he isn't with me. If you broke this relationship between me and him by telling Christopher that we can be family, that he had a chance, I will never speak to you again. It is amazing that my own mother, someone who birthed me and raised me, such as it was, could think so little of my own feelings that she would sabotage real love when she sees it. You knew I could see a future with him, you saw me holding up wedding dresses, and you knew that I loved him. I am leaving now to try and fix my future. Don't you dare try and enter my life again. You stay away from me and him. I won't let you do to him what you have been doing to me all my life. I love him too much to have the weight of disappointment and disapproval following him around whenever he is near you. Good-bye," Lorelai said strongly to Emily, her voice never once wavered, even when Emily started to tear. Feeling the weight of their stares, Lorelai chanced a glance at her father and daughter, standing sympathetically nearby taking in the scene. Lorelai nodded slightly at them as her only goodbye, but she caught sight of Rory's expression, eyes wide open, like she saw a ghost, staring at the exit.

As she turned she saw Luke standing there, not moving, almost not breathing; just standing completely stunned. "Luke," she whispered softly.

Luke justremained standingthere,staring at her, his expression unreadable, but his eyes seemingly penetrating her soul. The two of them stood staring at each other for what seemed like hours before Luke turned toward the door again. Lorelai jumped at the break of contact and just called his name again softly. He stopped; half turned toward her, and reached for her hand. Lorelai, choking back sobs, stumbled over to him and grabbed his hand. As he led her out the door; he pulled her tight against him and whispered, "I love you, too." Lorelai beamed up at him, kissed his cheek, and sighed happily knowing deep in her heart everything would be okay.

Emily turned slowly around and saw all of Hartford had witnessed the scene between her and Lorelai. With a steady voice, made stern from years of ordering maids, she told everyone to please return to the party, not to let the display of her over emotional daughter stop them from having a nice time. Hartford's elite did what it did best, turned back toward the booze to gossip about Lorelai Gilmore and how she ruined her life. Emily watched as Richard and Rory, refusing to look at her, turned back toward the party. Rory paused before entering the ballroom to whisper to her father. Emily couldn't hear what she said, but from the look on Christopher's face and how quickly he walked away, it was not good.

As she watched her granddaughter and husband enter the ballroom, she turned back toward the exit, hoping to see Lorelai walking back into the place she belonged. What she saw, however, were her dreams for her daughter crashing down around her. Luke was holding Lorelai's face in his hands, whispering gently to her as he wiped the tears from her face. She grinned happily up at him, nodded and kissed him hard before the couple walked toward the Jeep. Emily put her face in her hands and sobbed as she watched her daughter walk away without turning back.

AN: If only that would have happened. Anywho, please review, even if you hated it. For those wondering, the next chapter of What Can I Say should be up within a week.


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